When I was 15, I told myself I would live outside of the U.S. at least once in my life. Last year, I said, “Why Not?” and made it happen.
Before I joined the Peace Corps, I was on a pretty stable path in the administrative side of american higher education. I worked in a great communications and public relations office at a liberal arts college in Iowa, and had the privilege of documenting the people, places, and spaces on that campus through my photo and video work. However, something didn’t feel right — I wanted to do more, I wanted to be uncomfortable. Moreover, I wanted to live up to that promise I made to myself at 15.
In January of 2024, I was talking to a friend about these feelings and the promise that I made to myself nine years before. They said, “What about the Peace Corps?” To which I replied, “You know, why not?” So, I applied in June, went through the extensive interview and clearance processes, and began my training and service in Albania in January, 2025.
It’s been almost a full year of living abroad at the time of writing this, and I have zero regrets. When people ask me how things are going, I always reply with, “I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else.” Leaving the comforts of home and embracing Carson’s “Why Not?” attitude has left such an indelible mark on this chapter of my life. I still have a little over a year left in my service, and I haven’t stopped doing what I love either, taking photos. During the weekdays, I teach english at a village school, but in the afternoons and on weekends, I go out and photograph life as it happens.
As Thoreau said, “Most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with songs still in them.” Say “why not?” and sing those songs — suck the marrow out of life.
Carpe Diem,
CJ Bonifer
